Kitna, Lions hold off Raiders' late charge

Sep 10, 2007 - 2:10 AM

By Neil Berman
PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

OAKLAND, California (Ticker) - In a season-opening battle
between the two worst teams in the NFL last season, Jon Kitna
hit Shaun McDonald with a 32-yard touchdown as the Detroit Lions
turned back a furious rally by the Oakland Raiders to post a
36-21 victory on Sunday.

Former Lion Josh McCown brought the Raiders back from a 17-0
deficit, guiding Oakland to three touchdowns to take a 21-20
edge with 7:49 left on a 7-yard toss to Justin Griffith.

The Raiders (0-1) could not stop the Lions offense, however.

Kitna made a first great step in his promise of a 10-win season.
He went 27-of-36 for 289 yards with three scores and two
interceptions for Detroit (1-0).

While the Raiders' No. 1 overall pick JaMarcus Russell remains
unsigned, second overall pick Calvin Johnson delivered on his
enormous promise in his NFL debut, catching four balls for 70
yards and a touchdowns in the third quarter to help the Lions
take a 17-0 advantage.

"It was everything I expected and more," Johnson said. "It was
a lot of fun. I caught the ball and there was a hole, and I
just dove into the end zone."

"He played the way we expected him to play as the No. 1 pick,"
Kitna said. "He's been working his tail off in practice,
getting comfortable, and boy, he can cover some ground in a
hurry. He is hard to tackle also."

Detroit's Roy Williams finished with four catches for 20 yards,
including a 13-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter.
McDonald had the biggest day, catching six passes for 90 yards,
including the go-head score late in the fourth quarter.

"They are going to be hard to deal with for teams," Kitna said
about his receivers. "It is going to be important, as the
quarterback not to get greedy, because there are going to be
passes there and guys open. It is all about playmakers making
plays."

"Last year we lost 10 games in the last two minutes, the key is
how we finish games," Lions coach Rod Marinelli said. "I think
we are extremely well-conditioned, and we were really in shape.
I think this win solidifies the things we are trying to do."

Detroit's defense bothered McCown, who was traded along with
Mike Williams to Oakland in the offseason for a fourth-round
pick, holding the Raiders scoreless through the first two
quarters.

McCown completed 30-of-40 passes for 313 yards, and was booed
throughout much of the thir quarter as Raiders fans clamored for
offseason acquisition Daunte Culpepper to enter.

"They (the fans) pay money for their tickets, and they have a
right to do whatever they want to do," McCown said. "I know I
am going to go out there, and give them everything I have. I
don't leave anything on the field. I don't really get to caught
up in it, because I am putting everything I have out there."

"Even though the crowd wanted (Culpepper), Josh is our guy now,
and we were pleased with a number of things he did," Raiders
rookie coach Lane Kiffin said. "We are going to stay with him
for now."

McCown turned those boos into cheers during a 10-minute stretch
between the third quarter and fourth quarters as the Raiders
took a 21-20 lead.

"We did some good things, we got the lead, but we have got to
finish," McCown said. "There are some things to be proud about,
namely getting down 17-0 and getting back into the ballgame."

"Very happy with the way we battled back as a team," Kiffin
said. "Obviously, we need to be more consistent, it was right
there. We have to find a way to finish better than we did."

Ronald Curry was the biggest bright spot for the Raiders on
offense, hauling in 10 passes for 133 yards, including a 42-yard
reception in the third quarter to set up their first touchdown.
His 4-yard reception capped a six-play, 62-yard drive at the
3:53 mark.

LaMont Jordan had 70 yards on the ground and caught eight passes
for 77 and a score. Jordan's touchdown run was set up by
Stanford Routt's interception.

Jason Hansen's second 46-yard field goal of the contest extended
the Lions' lead to 20-14. Detroit's Dewayne White had the
biggest defensive play of the game, intercepting McCown late in
the final period to set up Hansen's 23-yard field goal for a
29-21 lead with 2:00 to play.